Rosco, pastor of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, was serious all right. And so was Bobby O'Buck, owner of the nearby Affordable Auto Body and Glass, who handed Carmon the keys to her new ride.

O'Buck donated the car, a used 2000 model, after Rosco told him that Carmon's DeVille was held together with duct tape in some spots. O'Buck said he has known Carmon for years, and he was well aware that it was Carmon's penchant for doing good deeds that wore out her car.

"It's good to give," O'Buck said. "It's a good feeling. And this just worked out. (Rosco) called at just the right time so I was able to help her out. And I'm glad I could."

Mia Song/The Star-LedgerCarolyn Carmon, center, a longtime volunteer for several Perth Amboy social service groups, was surprised with a car at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in the city. Bobby O'Buck, left, who donated the car, and his son Erik show Carmon the tools inside the trunk.

Rosco described Carmon as one of Perth Amboy's best-known good Samaritans, someone who is practically on call 24 hours a day.

Carmon, a former claims adjudicator for the state's disability determinations division, has also helped people navigate the complicated paperwork required to file for Social Security benefits. And she frequently drives throughout the city distributing fliers for the church's soup kitchen.

"She has done all this without me really asking her, or without anyone asking her," Rosco said. "It's just this wonderful thing about her."

Carmon, a lifelong Perth Amboy resident who declined to give her age, said she has always been active in community organizations. But she began volunteering more of her time after she retired several years ago, particularly when Perth Amboy hosted families who were displaced from their homes when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

She was one of the first volunteers to sign up, Rosco said, and for weeks she manned the phone banks tirelessly.

When the Katrina-related work dwindled, Carmon didn't go anywhere, Rosco said. That was when she started providing her taxi service.

"I can't help myself," Carmon said of her urge to volunteer her time. "I do these things for people, and I can't even tell you why. I just have to."

Carmon also volunteers in the city clerk's office, answering the phones and assisting with other office work. That's where she was yesterday afternoon, when Rosco tricked her into coming with him to the church for her surprise gift.

Carmon was told she would be meeting with a reporter who wanted to write about the soup kitchen. Instead, she was greeted by O'Buck and a handful of friends who clapped when she climbed into her new car.

Carmon admitted yesterday that she would miss her DeVille, which was a gift from her late husband. But the car was becoming so unreliable that it sometimes left her stranded and needing a ride herself.

"So many things have been happening with it, I knew I couldn't afford to keep it running," she said.

The gunmetal-blue car has already been inspected, O'Buck told Carmon. It has new tires and freshly-changed oil, and O'Bucks 18-year-old son Erik even spent a couple of days detailing the sedan.

"The toughest decision was the color," O'Buck told Carmon yesterday. "We also had one in gold and one in silver to choose from. We thought this was the best, though."